When you get assessed by a mental health professional you assume that they would be well versed in all possible diagnoses. You assume they will identify, diagnose and treat any possible mental health struggle. Unfortunately that assumption is not only wrong, but dangerous.

OCD seems to be the step-child of mental health education and training. Which is mind boggling considering, according to the International OCD Foundation, 1 out of 100 adults have OCD and 1 out of 200 children and teens do as well.

Think about that for a moment. The same amount of children have OCD as Diabetes. This is not a rare mental health disorder, and yet there is this pervasive lack of training and expertise around the issue.

Mental health professionals aren’t given the education in their graduate programs. They are often not taught that OCD is not just about washing hands or tapping some magical number.

They often don’t realize that a person can have OCD if they have an intrusive thought that they are a bad person and they need to confess all their “bad” thoughts to those they love.

They often don’t understand that a person can have OCD if they have an intrusive feeling that they might stop breathing, so they have to continually take deep breaths.

Or that a person can have OCD if they have an intrusive thought that they want to harm others or themselves. That one in particular can be dire in the hands of a mental health professional who does not understand OCD.

According to the International OCD Foundation (link: https://iocdf.org/professionals/training-institute/ for that statement), on average it can take someone up to 17 years from the onset of symptoms to get properly diagnosed and begin receiving effective treatment. That is unacceptable.

In this week’s episode of the AT Parenting Survival Podcast, I talk to Cameron Kleimo, a mom and therapist who has a similar story to my own. Her graduate program didn’t teach her how to spot OCD. And it wasn’t until she was stumped by her own child’s behavior that she discovered that they both had OCD.

Click here to listen:

To learn more about the missed signs of childhood ocd click here (insert this link https://www.anxioustoddlers.com/ocd-in-children/).

If you are a mental health professional wanting more training on OCD click here (insert this link: https://iocdf.org/professionals/training-institute/)

For the IOCDF Guidelines for pediatric OCD medication go to: https://kids.iocdf.org/professionals/mh/meds-for-pediatric-ocd/

To take my class, How to Crush OCD go to:

Www.ATparentingsurvivalschool.com/p/child-ocd

To learn more about Cameron’s work visit her site:

https://www.sensorymom.com/

Also I’d love to invite you to sign up for my FREE 3-part video series: Self-Care for Parents Raising Kids with Anxiety or OCD. Learn how to shift your mindset, read your body and super size your support to be more effective in helping your child and yourself!

Sign up below. Series starts January 21st, 2020:

https://anxioustoddlers.lpages.co/video-series (for parents of kids and teens of all ages)

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This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be used to replace the guidance of a qualified professional.

To get on the waitlist for my SPACE Online Study Guide Course, text the word SPACEPROGRAM to 44222 or click here: https://anxious-toddlers-llc.ck.page/7300c6ee54